What are you afraid of that you shouldn't be?
 

The "LeHah is afraid of travel" thread prompted this, but what are you afraid of that you know you shouldn't be? I'm looking for really ridiculous stuff. Stuff that makes you a complete puss, not "Oh I'm afraid of Timber Rattlesnakes," because, you know, that's a very reasonable fear.

For me, I guess it would be fish. I don't know what it is about them, but they scare me. I even have nightmares about fish, for some reason.

I'm afraid of black people.

Please be serious, Minion. =/

Okay, okay. Actually, I'm afraid of offending people I don't know. Which is why I'm never myself around people until I get used to them and usually I stay quiet in crowds because what won't offend one person is likely to offend another, etc.

I'm afraid of most bugs. The exceptions are harmless-but-common bugs like ants, and even bees, most of the time. Large crickets, cicadae, beetles, cockroaches, etc scare me pretty well. I don't know what it is, but they are frightening. I've never really understoof this fear, I've looked at them and concluded that in a fight with a roach, I would win. Most of these bugs can't harm me, yet I am terrified of bugs.

I remember I had some kind of cricket or other noise-making bug in my room, somewhere behind the curtains. It stayed there for days, usually silent. Every few hours it would suddenly make a loud clicking noise, twice in a row. Each time I would cringe in fear of it. I was too afraid to actually go and face it; I let it stay there for several days until it flew out. There I was at my computer, and all of a sudden I see a strange shadow against the wall. I didn't even turn around; I just ducked and ran out of the room. I actually had to get my father to go catch the thing in a jar.

Thing probably wasn't even carnivorous.

I actually don't think it's unreasonable to be afraid of bugs. They're diseased and pretty hard to detect/defend against, especially if there is a horde of them.

My girlfriend got sick yesterday because of a spiderbite. At least that's what a doctor told her (she works in a hospital). Bugs are not harmless.

I don't know, Minion. My daughter is afraid of bugs, too. And I mean to an unreasonable level. She even SEES a bee and she starts running around squealing like a girl. Black Widow spiders are one thing, but our buddy Eleo here just admitted to being afraid of crickets and beetles. That's pretty panty-waistish, if you ask me.

No offense, Eleo - especially coming from someone who's afraid of goldfish for cripes's sake... I'm just sayin'.

Beetles are disgusting. I wouldn't be surprised if they could make you sick.

But you're certainly not afraid of people you DO know. ^_^

So yea. I am terrified of asking people to do things for me. I always feel bad when I have to call up my mechanic, and I am like "Greeeeeg? I broke ____ on my truck. Can you fiiiiix it?" I KNOW I pay him to do it, but I always feel like I am inconveniencing someone when I ask for help.

I am incredibly claustrophic, and suffer from acrophobia.

I also have a fear of being too close to other people, physically. It's not just UNCOMFORTABLE - it's that I am AFRAID. They get too close, I never know what they're going to do, you know?

I have a fear for taking important decisions. So I just end up asking for other people's opinions.

Well, its hard for me to say, because I have a LARGE list of fears, but because they are mine, I can rationalize any of them. The only one I can't understand, and the one that has had the worst affect on me, is talking to people.

Recently, I've started to believe that the reason I have so much issues talking to someone is that I'm afraid that I'll annoy them. It doesn't as much apply on message boards, mostly because you can choose to listen or not. Yet, this fear continues to destroy my life, and I can't get past it.

- WraithTwo -

We have a bar next to the stairs in our house. When I shut off all of the lights in the basement and start walking upstairs to my room at night I always get creeped out by the darkness of the bar. I end up sprinting up the stairs. It's weird though, because I'm otherwise not afraid of the dark.

I also really dislike driving over bridges - I'm always thinking about what could happen if there's an accident. Same thing with trains + bridges.

Lastly, I really dislike boats. Wait... does this mean that I'm afraid of large bodies of water?

I'm afraid of power outages at night. Why? I leave my computer on 24/7, and if it's storming bad outside and the power goes out, the sound my PC makes when it shuts down is horrendous. Sounds like a monster dying.

For me, it's deep water. Doesn't matter if it's a pool or the ocean, over my head is too deep. Not in boats, though. I have no problem with boating.

Some crickets get huge. Same with beetles. And their long antennae freak me out.

I mean, of which bugs should I be afraid?

Can't you swim?

Spiders aren't bugs!! They're arachnids! They have eight legs and two body sections! Bugs or incests have three body sections and six legs!

By the way, not all bugs are diseased, they can be carriers, but they aren't all diseased. Spiders all have venom and some have venom enough to harm humans. Maybe not make them die, but enough to make you sick.

Ignorance must be bliss.


The only fear I really have is of structured heights. I really don't like looking down the side of a several story tall building for my imagination takes over and I imagine that the whole building is going to collapse under me. It is not a crippling fear as I'll look over the edge regardless, it just feels like there's a pit in my stomach when I do.

Well, I'm not exactly a speed swimmer, but I can stay at the top if that's what you mean.

You're not the only one:

1) I remember my old high school social studies teacher mentioning about how darkness was used as a tool of fear during some wars and such (okay I can’t remember details), but he explicitly mentioned about people just having that ominous urge to get out of the dark whenever possible, especially with the basement of their own houses at nighttime as an example of how darkness is used. This sensation generally happens when an individual is alone in the house creating a sense of loneliness.

2) I’m quite like this sometimes at about 12 AM or later in the night after playing video games and the like. My imagination runs wild and I just want to head to my bed ASAP.

When I was a kid, I used to dread going near those giant ornamental water fountains. I guess its was the loud sound generated by the constant splashing water and the giant arcs of water it spouted out. Of course today I like taking pictures of them and throwing in pennies here and there.

However, I still do get queasy whenever I’m in a multi-level shopping mall and I’m at near the top floor looking over the balcony down. I’m not so much afraid, but I constantly feel my adrenaline pumping up and my mind on focused attention.

Ah yes, how could I forget the heights thing. Looking over the edge of any tall structure is quite fear inducing - I can almost feel myself plumetting towards the streets below.

I should also mention that I'm afraid of demonic possession. Really, truly terrified.

I am afraid of anything that has to do with horror. It can't be normal either. I mean I'm afraid of simple shadows on the wall or the sound of a quick gust of wind. I can't watch any horror films because of it. And yet at the same time I love the trill of being terrified. I must sound extremely weird by now.

Heights. Totally illogical, but I can't stand the things. Doesn't petrify me, but it can make me queasy. I remember going up in the CN tower and walking out on their glass floor (Imagine looking straight down 1300 or so feet, however high it was). Not particularly in a mood to do that again.

Speaking of horror, I really can't stand horror movies. Even a simple movie like RINGU made me stop at the 1 hour mark, so I never saw Sadako crawl out of the TV. ;_;

Maybe that's a good thing.

Sure is! How's being a tedious queer working out for you?

I'm scared of actually opening my mouth in front of people that I don't know very well. It happens a lot at college. When I'm picked on to answer a question or asked to give an opinion on something, I can't do it. I'll freeze up and look like an idiot.

This also could be due to the fact that I am really shy when it comes to public speaking and whatnot.

Wouldn't know. I have a wonderful, beautiful human female girlfriend to go home to. However, I do reconize your attempt at a second grade put down. Well don't worry, practice makes perfect. ;)

I'm ridiculously afraid of spiderwebs and cobwebs. They're even scarier than spiders themselves, actually. There was one time when I completely freaked out after seeing a giagantic spiderweb in our basement over one of the shelves near the laundry machine. Well, that spiderweb was shaped like a cocoon, although it wasnt tightly packed or anything. It was just huge. I ended up dashing up the stairs as fast as I could, screaming at the top of my lungs.

I even cringe whenever I see people brushing cobwebs off things in movies. :p


Another strange fear of mine is eating in front of strangers. I don't know why really, but I eat much slower and much less. I'm very self-conscious when doing so.


I'm also scared of asking for directions. (So much for the "asking for directions" stereotype) I'd rather spend half an hour getting myself back on track, as long as I'm not running late for anything. ;)

Watch this be deleted and myself subsequently banned from the thread
 

http://ganjataz.com/general-bollocks...ttle-black.jpg



As for the topic question...

How can you be afraid of something that you shouldn't be afraid of? There has to be a reason you're afraid of it. If you think about it in this way, anything that you are afraid of has reasoning behind it.
Take for example being afraid of bugs. If your fear of insects is derived from your disgust of their looks and the "creepy-crawly feeling" you get from them, why shouldn't that disgust trickle down into fear? It's just natural, after all, to fear what you don't understand and to not want to understand what you fear. I suppose it's human nature, really.

On the flip side, if you look at a fear and write it off as "being scared of something you don't understand," couldn't you say that almost everything you fear is something that you shouldn't? I mean to say, with the exception of fearing pain, death (and that's debatable depending on your beliefs and all that), and peril, what is there to fear?

Silly Matt. Pulling a kettle-black play on Minion and then preceding to make a post which is ALSO tedious and queer, well, there are so many levels here and I just don't have the energy to dig through it. Furthermore, if you really must engage in an utterly boring vendetta with someone, try to pick somebody without any authority. I might be a good choice, for example. Anyway, if you could stop being such a little faggot, that would be great for everyone. Thanks!

-Mgt

They're called insults, honey. Now, just because you can't let go of the second grade is no reason to hang on to the vernacular! I know it's hard to forget the horrible things that happened in that classroom, but you have to be strong. Mr. Vanderbier died 4 years ago. He can't hurt you anymore, and neither can the bigger boys who made fun of the way your mother dressed you. You're a grown-up now, and you need to be proud of that!


Anyway, uh, on topic, I operate under a continual paranoia that people around me will just drop dead at the most inconvenient times. I'm not sure if this counts as a "fear" exactly; after all, it's not like I'd actually be harmed. It does cause the same behavior patterns in me that fear does, so I think it can reasonably be bundled in.

Dogs, too. Really paranoid around strange dogs.

Minion's comment was not even worthy the title of 'insult'.

Yeah, that's probably why it would have been better for you not to respond to his provocation, eh? But you did, you went and bit right down on that hook. Hell of a shame. You can beat him, though! Bullies only pick on nice people like you because they hate themselves. Just think of ways to remind Minion what he hates about himself! Then he'll be ashamed and stop being such a bully and you'll both become straight-A students!

I guess the main thing I'm afraid of that I shouldn't really be is contact with my eye. Doesn't matter wether its me or someone else, I can't let anything get too close to my eyeball. Pity, as I'm stuck wearing glasses because of this! Before it was fear of the contact lens getting stuck behind my eye, but ever since I found out thats physically impossible, I've just moved to another excuse!

I'm terrified of heights. I was also once put in a hot air balloon. I intend to overcome this fear by parachuting some day, because I think the experience of freefall looks like it'd just be too relaxing to be scary. I also can't stand gore, like, guts and exposed mashed-up muscle that looks like ground beef. It's just... ugh. I don't like anything slimy. Snakes in general, even the harmless ones, are sort of tied into that fear, because they remind me of intestines.

Rich friends' parents. With friends you can act any way you want to and I usually am myself, but when you meet their parents I'm always wondering, 'should I curtsy, kiss or shake their hand?' I usually stand dumbfounded--it hides my frear. I'm afraid of people featured in high society magazines.

I'm also afraid of paper cuts. it's the minor injuries that freak me out. I'd rather see myself with a bleeding leg than a thin slice of skin on my finger.

I'm afraid of walking alone in the dark. Unless I'm really angry at someone or something.

Large spiders scare me.

I have a fear of vomit, which I think is pretty weird. Also, I hate heights and anything to do with spiders and the like. *shudder*

I don't like driving to a place I've never been to before. Even with printed directions, I prefer going with someone else. I'm generally afraid of the possibility of getting lost.

I'm TERRIFIED of mice/rats in the home. If they're caged or brought as pets, then it's fine, but I really hate the fuckers that are wild and are in your kitchen and leave droppings and..just....

UGH.

I guess it's coupled with the fact that I don't like seeing-fast-moving-objects-blur-in-the-edge-of-my-vision type of thing too. =/

I'm also not a fan of mosquitoes. I especially hate it when they buzz near your ear; I panic and constantly look around (even though I probably won't be able to see it...)

Oh, and a popsicle stick scraping on your teeth. I'm pretty sure there's nothing bad happening, but I can't stand the feel >_<;;

I get the same feeling when I'm going up to my room I quickly turn off the light and haul ass up the stairs. No idea why, it may beacuse of the movie Darkness Falls ( I think thats what it was) where some thing grabs a guy while he was walking down the stairs in the dark.
Im also afraid of responcibility, decisions, unfamiliar people, and change. Perhaps this is why I don't have a job

Wolf spiders. I know they don't bite, but that doesn't quell my fear any. Yet I love daddy long-legs'.

I am afraid of heights, but so is everyone.

If you want a fear that makes others think of you as a pussy, I have the best. I am deathly afraid of physical retribution from people. As you can imagine, this makes me a raging loser. It's not that I even have much to fear; I could easily hold my own in a brawl with quite a number of people. However, I tend to not be as... honest as I'd like in some instances, for fear out of being hit.

I don't know why. I should make a post about it in ANGST and get mocked for it. That might scare the fear out of me.

I'm afraid of hasters. When I was little my sister had one and I carried it once and it bit me. I carried a different hamster after that and it also bit me, and for those of you that dont know, one bite from a hamster and its instantly rips the skin.
I carried them as gently as I could so maybe its just me. I just like to stay away from them now.

I used to be scared of dogs ever since I was attacked by one when I was fairly young (around 10). I'm also not keen on heights when i'm exposed to the outside and there's nothing to stop a gust of wind from blowing me to my doom. I'm slowly conquering that fear though just like I did with dogs. I'm sure there are others too, for example if I were to be confronted by certain creatures (bear, shark, metre-wide Amazonian spider etc).

I'm afraid of relationships.

And...that's about as honest about myself as I'll get :biggrin:

I'm afraid of spiderwebs, but I'm not afraid of spiders. I actually pick up spiders when I have the chance, they're very interesting creatures which hardly ever do harm to you unless you freak them out.

But spiderwebs.... *shudder*

I have a fear of people who string sentence fragments using nothing but "blah blah".

Also, I have this paranoia when I drive large vehicles where I feel like they're going to flip over. I like my cars with a low center of gravity and anything like a slightly lifted pickup truck and even my cousin's Jeep Wrangler feel like they're going to roll because they're top heavy. I know they're not going to, but it just feels like they're going to.

http://www.westfly.com/feature/0008/feature_252_3.jpeg

This, the crane fly, scares the living piss out of me. Completely. If I see one, I'll scream and yell and cower, or avoid wherever it is. And it's completely irrational, because they eat mosquitos and other 'scary' insects and -- contrary to what it looks like -- do not suck blood.

And there's a name for it as well: Tipuliphobia. Which cracks me up, because Tipuli is a Nahual (Aztec) and Cherokee word for "vagina."

This is going to sound really weird, but I'm afraid of random teens in groups. I keep thinking that they're whispering stuff about me that I can't hear, or whenever they laugh that it's at me. :o Issues huh? I hold the stereotype of "teens = no good punks"

Horror movies...I'm ok with stories or anecdotes, but the movies, even the crappy ones, just give me the chills. It's gotten to the point where either someone tells me exactly what's going to happen (and then I decide if I can watch), or I have to leave - I can't even stand listening to them.

Hey, I do the same thing. I'll be coming up from the basement, and when I turn off the lights for whatever reason I feel that someone will come out and like kill me or something, so I'll thump up the steps skipping 3 at a time.

I'm afraid of april fools jokes.

i'm afraid of making speeches and performing

I'm afraid of pornography. So much immoral behavior, I fear for my soul. It corrupts.

This may sound wierd..
I get scared when this happens on tv.

They take a coloured photo of any person, fade it to black and white, and slowly zoom in on it..

Im not kidding, that shit scares the crap out of me, I dont know why, I know it seems stupid.. but if that ever happens, I change the channel and don't turn it back till that show/documentary is over

lol

.dc

I'm afraid of people being angry at me. Honestly sometimes I just agree with people becuase I don't want them to be mad at me.

But if I hate your guts or know you very well then this rule doesn't apply.

I'm really not, but since I've gotten braces, I'm afraid to eat food with mustard. I have clear rubber bands on them, and it gets stained whenever I eat food with mustard.

Now that you mention it, fuck that's creepy. Probably if I were to see it of George W Bush Michael Jackson Sir VG, I'd be turned to stone.

Well when I was a kid, I was afraid of this certain restaurant's neon sign -______-


Now, I'm only scared of roaches >_< Nasty... ick.... I dunno, I just cant outgrow my fear of them >_<

Damn, I have the same fear. I panic everytime my head goes under waterlevel, I guess that's why I've never learned how to swim.

Same here. I almost drowned when I was a kid so I don't mess with pools and stuff anymore. I'm not too thrilled about boats either. I guess hearing about boats and stuff crashing with me almost drowning doesn't sound good at all. :(

I just thought of another thing, although this is probably a fear that is actually something that I should be worried about - getting rejected from med school. That's right - I'm applying in the fall and early 2007 to the Quebec schools, but what am I going to do if I don't get accepted? I could apply for my Masters as a back up, but do I really want to do my Masters and then apply to med again? I don't think so.

I have a good GPA, which will hopefully increase if I can pull off another 4.0 semester in a couple of weeks, but I'm always worrying that I don't have enough extra curriculars. The most important thing however, the interview. I almost got into McGill's med program immediately following my CEGEP, but I fucked up the interviews bad and was the ONLY person from my CEGEP who got an interview, but that didn't get in. What if I fuck up my interviews again? Seriously, this worries me. Although I am confident that I will get in this time, there is always the possibility that I won't. And then it's like, fuck, what do I do?

Actually, this would make a good journal entry - posted.

I'm deathly afraid of hieghts as in I can be standing in the middle of whatever it is and not looking at the edges and my knees will give out. It's really pathetic too has a 10 foot ladder is enough to give me vertigo.

I'm also afraid of the sky at night. There's just something about the way it goes on forever if I stare at it that makes it feel like I'm going to fall straight up into it and out of the atmosphere. Also any body of water I can't see the bottom and other side of.

I als won't sleep next to an uncovered window they just creep me out for some reason.